BREAKING: COURT JAILS FORMER PLATEAU GOVERNOR FOR 14 YEARS

A federal high court sitting in Abuja Tuesday jailed the convicted Senator Joshua Dariye for corruption and sentenced him to 16 years in prison without an option of fine. The Senator will serve 2 years for one count and 14 years for another count concurrently.

The Senator who was accompanied by his family was being tried for diverting N1.126 billion Naira from Plateau state ecological funds account to an account belonging to Ebenezer Reitner Ventures, an unregistered company belonging to him.

Dariye pleaded for mercy from the Judge before her ruling, after his lawyers pleas for mercy was rejected by Rotimi Jacobs, counsel to EFCC.

“Have mercy, you are a Christian, your name is Jacob,” Dariye pleaded.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko said in her ruling; “I can’t imagine a brazen act of looting as in this case.”

“I welled up while reading (the judgement) thinking of the victims, it is a litany of woes. They were adults making rational choices. More importantly, I think what touches me the most, your family, they are victims.

“Having found the defendant guilty of these counts of criminal breach trust and criminal appropriation, the court sentences you to two years for criminal breach of trust and 14 years for criminal appropriation.”